Back in the day, say 1992 or so, when Massachusetts was changing all of its juvenile laws every time there was a horrendous newsworthy homicide, Wayne Budd was advising Governor Bill Weld (his predecessor at the U.S. Attorney’s office). He was the one, according to Fox Butterfield of the New York Times, who advised Weld to appoint an African American District Attorney to Suffolk County. This was an effort to head off any rioting like what … [Read more...]
THE POLITICS OF MURDER’s Margo Nash On When Writing Stirs Up Controversy
Here is something that writers don’t think enough about. If you write a true crime book, the people who were hurt so deeply by the crime are most likely still around. They’ve been trying to put the trauma behind them, sometimes for years and your book will open all the wounds for them again. That’s a heavy burden to bear as the writer. If you are retelling a story that has already been solved, let’s say the Oklahoma Bombing case, it may be … [Read more...]
Attorney Margo Nash Sheds Light On One of Boston’s Most Controversial Murder Cases In True Crime THE POLITICS OF MURDER
On a hot night in July 1995, Janet Downing, a 42-year-old mother of four, was brutally stabbed 98 times in her home in Somerville, a city two miles northwest of Boston. Within hours, a suspect was identified: 15-year-old Eddie O’Brien, the best friend of one of Janet’s sons. But why Eddie? He had no prior history of criminal behavior. He was not mentally ill. He had neither motive nor opportunity to commit the crime. … [Read more...]
True Crime Author Margo Nash On Her Writing Process For THE POLITICS OF MURDER
Once I’d committed to writing the story of Eddie O’Brien’s arrest, legal journey and trial, I sat down at the computer and wondered exactly how one organizes a book. Should I start with an outline? I realized I had no idea how to organize a book. I didn’t know anyone who had written a book who I could ask. Finally I decided that perhaps I should just start writing and see where that took me. I knew I wanted to start with the day of Janet … [Read more...]
Attorney and True Crime Author Margo Nash
Writing has always been an essential part of my life, but I never aspired to become a published author. Nor did I ever dream that I would write a book that could impact the life of a man who was falsely accused and convicted of a heinous murder. My early writing was personal and private, but when I got my first job as an editorial and teaching assistant at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, I started to … [Read more...]
